Prospect Info: Wild Prospect Thread 2023-2024

[AKL]

I was convinced you made him up but nope, a real guy. The slight caveat of course is that Jayden did it in his last CHL season, turning 21 at the end of it.

This is Funk's last CHL season and he turns 21 in July

 

[Puhis]

This is Funk's last CHL season and he turns 21 in July

Yes, which makes what Bedard did even more remarkable. I'm also conditioned to not believe any notions about this being "last x" from anyone named Funk.

 

[Minnewildsota]

Well, everything he does is…

Wait for it…


Funky

 

[BagHead]

I was convinced you made him up but nope, a real guy. The slight caveat of course is that Jayden did it in his last CHL season, turning 21 at the end of it.

As a side note, that 17-18 Moose Jaw Warriors team is also an absolute gem when it comes to hockey names. Aside from good Mr. Halbgewachs, we also have notables such as Kale Clague, Branden Klatt, Daemon Hunt, Spencer Bast, Luka Burzan, Tate Popple, Jett Woo, and my personal favourite Jaxan Kaluski. Honestly, you could tell me half the team are EA NHL regens, and I wouldn't bat an eye.

I had so much trouble spelling his name right.

 

[Jbcraig1883]

If I missed it in a different post, delete.

Russo mentioned in an article today that it looks doubtful the Wild will sign Petrovsky (Toporowski, Firstov + new kids coming over) - said probably has options overseas as well. He hasn't improved that much over the last two years but thought his game may work better in a structured system (professional system that is).

 

[Wabit]

If I missed it in a different post, delete.

Russo mentioned in an article today that it looks doubtful the Wild will sign Petrovsky (Toporowski, Firstov + new kids coming over) - said probably has options overseas as well. He hasn't improved that much over the last two years but thought his game may work better in a structured system (professional system that is).

I've had him walking as a FA after he didn't get a contract after the preseason camps. I like him in the camps, and he was impressive in the U-20 this year. I donlt know about a NHL future, but he would have been a nice AHL addition.

 

[DANOZ28]

i really want somebody fired for picking stramel over perrault. 50 pts vs 8 pts. you can't possibly tell me nobody on the wild's draft team wanted gabe. to this day i believe billy wanted a protégé power forward like him and reached for him at #21. accountability!

 

[Jbcraig1883]

i really want somebody fired for picking stramel over perrault. 50 pts vs 8 pts. you can't possibly tell me nobody on the wild's draft team wanted gabe. to this day i believe billy wanted a protégé power forward like him and reached for him at #21. accountability!

Perrault, Nadeau, Ritchie, Cowan, Stenberg, Edstrom, etc.

I don't even have to go back to the draft thread to remember how many of us had the above mentioned in that slot. Every scouting board everywhere had that group above Stramel...and just think how much better the prospect pool would be if you added one of the above (especially Perrault).

 

[DANOZ28]

i had perrault ; stenberg; musty ; cristall & ritchie way above stramel. no excuse for this mistake.

 

[saywut]

i really want somebody fired for picking stramel over perrault. 50 pts vs 8 pts. you can't possibly tell me nobody on the wild's draft team wanted gabe. to this day i believe billy wanted a protégé power forward like him and reached for him at #21. accountability!

Could've got a Stramel-tier prospect/pick as the return for Foligno without extending him. Instead we've got a declining, oft-injured bottom-6 winger signed till 36 for money he been worth maybe 3 times in 11 NHL seasons and probably tossed away a 1st round pick that had a better group to choose from than we'll probably have this year.

 

[Circulartheory]

Perrault, Nadeau, Ritchie, Cowan, Stenberg, Edstrom, etc.

I don't even have to go back to the draft thread to remember how many of us had the above mentioned in that slot. Every scouting board everywhere had that group above Stramel...and just think how much better the prospect pool would be if you added one of the above (especially Perrault).

To be technical, not every scouting board. Out of 13 scouting rankings, some more important than others like Bob Mckenzie, Stramel was above Cowan in 9/13 (including Bob Mckenzie), was above Edstrom 4/13 (34 on Mckeznies list, Edstrom was 37), 2/13 with Nadeau and a few others as well. So based on the rankings, Cowan was the outsider of that group but rose quickly.

So IMO, he belongs in that group so its not as egregious as the Johansson pick. With that said, I was never a fan of the pick but tried to keep an open mind. But wasn't a fan because it went against our draft tendency, which was don't overthink and just pick the well-rounded skill player that fell to us (Rossi, Boldy, Yurov, Ohgren, Wallstedt).

This was a pick where we tried to be fancy and I can say the same thing of this entire 2023-24 season. Some the lineup combos Evason tried, some of the stupid contract extensions. It could be so simple to just let the season play out and see what happens but no...we had to try to be show off how smart we are, when we really aren't. I hope we go back to basics and picking simple, talented well-rounded prospects, nothing fancy.

There's a clear tier drop off around #13 where we pick with the group of Buium, Helenius, Catton, Parekh, Jiricek, Yakemchuk, Greentree and arguably a few more. That's more than enough names to select a solid prospect, don't go picking Kiviharju or Shuravin at that pick. Those are solid late 1sts but not where we pick. Though even Parekh gives me pause bc of his high-risk play.

 

[Minnewildsota]

To be technical, not every scouting board. Out of 13 scouting rankings, some more important than others like Bob Mckenzie, Stramel was above Cowan in 9/13 (including Bob Mckenzie), was above Edstrom 4/13 (34 on Mckeznies list, Edstrom was 37), 2/13 with Nadeau and a few others as well. So based on the rankings, Cowan was the outsider of that group but rose quickly.

So IMO, he belongs in that group so its not as egregious as the Johansson pick. With that said, I was never a fan of the pick but tried to keep an open mind. But wasn't a fan because it went against our draft tendency, which was don't overthink and just pick the well-rounded skill player that fell to us (Rossi, Boldy, Yurov, Ohgren, Wallstedt).

This was a pick where we tried to be fancy and I can say the same thing of this entire 2023-24 season. Some the lineup combos Evason tried, some of the stupid contract extensions. It could be so simple to just let the season play out and see what happens but no...we had to try to be show off how smart we are, when we really aren't. I hope we go back to basics and picking simple, talented well-rounded prospects, nothing fancy.

There's a clear tier drop off around #13 where we pick with the group of Buium, Helenius, Catton, Parekh, Jiricek, Yakemchuk, Greentree and arguably a few more. That's more than enough names to select a solid prospect, don't go picking Kiviharju or Shuravin at that pick. Those are solid late 1sts but not where we pick. Though even Parekh gives me pause bc of his high-risk play.

Technically, Wallstedt didn’t drop to us as we traded up for him. Just sayin’

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Perrault, Nadeau, Ritchie, Cowan, Stenberg, Edstrom, etc.

I don't even have to go back to the draft thread to remember how many of us had the above mentioned in that slot. Every scouting board everywhere had that group above Stramel...and just think how much better the prospect pool would be if you added one of the above (especially Perrault).

Even NHL Central Scouting had a fairly significant red flag. Stramel was 21 in North American skaters in the mid-term, but fell to 30 for the final (behind Heidt, for one; Perreault uh rose significantly). Yes, it's a source to take with a grain of salt, but they had the first round order pretty close in 2023. Players fall for various reasons of course, but lack of athletic ability can be one of those.

 

[57special]

To be technical, not every scouting board. Out of 13 scouting rankings, some more important than others like Bob Mckenzie, Stramel was above Cowan in 9/13 (including Bob Mckenzie), was above Edstrom 4/13 (34 on Mckeznies list, Edstrom was 37), 2/13 with Nadeau and a few others as well. So based on the rankings, Cowan was the outsider of that group but rose quickly.

So IMO, he belongs in that group so its not as egregious as the Johansson pick. With that said, I was never a fan of the pick but tried to keep an open mind. But wasn't a fan because it went against our draft tendency, which was don't overthink and just pick the well-rounded skill player that fell to us (Rossi, Boldy, Yurov, Ohgren, Wallstedt).

This was a pick where we tried to be fancy and I can say the same thing of this entire 2023-24 season. Some the lineup combos Evason tried, some of the stupid contract extensions. It could be so simple to just let the season play out and see what happens but no...we had to try to be show off how smart we are, when we really aren't. I hope we go back to basics and picking simple, talented well-rounded prospects, nothing fancy.

There's a clear tier drop off around #13 where we pick with the group of Buium, Helenius, Catton, Parekh, Jiricek, Yakemchuk, Greentree and arguably a few more. That's more than enough names to select a solid prospect, don't go picking Kiviharju or Shuravin at that pick. Those are solid late 1sts but not where we pick. Though even Parekh gives me pause bc of his high-risk play.

Yup to the first bolded. Rossi, Boldy, Heidt, just fell to us. Stramel felt like the Filip Johansson pick, the "I see something no one else does".

I think that Greentree and Jiricek are in a tier below the others mentioned. Having said that, I really like Greentree, and it's interesting that one of the scouts(and OHL expert) I really like, Brock Otten, has Greentree rated above Parekh.

 

[Digitalbooya]

I like that we have Stramel in the prospect pool. He should have gone in the 2nd, but he is a project prospect that has high upside if he puts it together. It’s hard to directly compare him to Perrault. One is playing top line with two elite players and top pp. The other is playing with the likes of players like Mehlenbacher (3pts) and no power play time. He was the best player on his line by far at the end of the year and he was generating chances. If he has someone on his line that can finish, I feel a lot better about his projected totals for next season.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I like that we have Stramel in the prospect pool. He should have gone in the 2nd, but he is a project prospect that has high upside if he puts it together. It’s hard to directly compare him to Perrault. One is playing top line with two elite players and top pp. The other is playing with the likes of players like Mehlenbacher (3pts) and no power play time. He was the best player on his line by far at the end of the year and he was generating chances. If he has someone on his line that can finish, I feel a lot better about his projected totals for next season.

Honest question, but is this almost solely based on his height?

Because I don't really see anywhere in his past, other than a decent 26 game stretch, where any evidence of this might be.

Not just "hating" on a Badger player. Honestly asking.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

Honest question, but is this almost solely based on his height?

Because I don't really see anywhere in his past, other than a decent 26 game stretch, where any evidence of this might be.

Not just "hating" on a Badger player. Honestly asking.

Height, strength, VO2 score, which are all genetic and determine capacity for endurance and physical output. Good scoring as a youth, commitment to the sport by going NTDP route, he interviews very strongly as well, articulate, recognizes his own strengths and weaknesses.

The tools are there, the drive is or at least was there at time of draft, it made sense at the time and still does to me that we picked him. All of the actual centers that were linked to us pre-draft were already picked when we got to the podium.

Perrault still does absolutely nothing for me, he looks like a middle 6, pass first winger to me at the NHL level and I think he will also need adjustments, he is not some sort of lock or need for this team IMO.

I am not a Ritchie fan at all either, and while I personally preferred Edstrom, it’s not by enough for me to get upset about and he too needs growth to his game.

I liked Cristall as a player too but he was not a need or worth the gamble, if everything goes right for him he ends up as extreme discount Kaprizov but he is far more likely to end up an undersized tweener and still a wing in our system.

Our pick was too late to get any kind of sure thing, gambling on a guy that has the best raw physical tools in the draft is fine by me, not every pick is going to work out, but Stramel did and does have a chance to end up as an impact player.

 

[AKL]

I'm not seeing much good scoring as a youth. I see a guy who's always been a pretty pedestrian point producer. What is "high upside" here? Are we talking a Foligno type 30 point player? Okay, I can see that. Are we talking a David Backes type 50-60 point player? I don't see it at all. None of those physical characteristics seem to have granted him any amount of special ability at the sport of hockey.

When people say "tools" it means more than just being tall and strong. The hockey IQ, the hands, the skating, the shot, those are all tools, and Stramel seems to be lacking those types of tools in spades.

 

[MNRube]

Perreault, to me, is a much better version of Heidt. Even with a 20 point reduction he would be having a ridiculous freshman year. Kid is legit and would’ve been an excellent replacement for Zuccarello down the line.

I still have hope for Stramel. He was always going to be a project.

 

[Parax]

I'm not seeing much good scoring as a youth. I see a guy who's always been a pretty pedestrian point producer. What is "high upside" here? Are we talking a Foligno type 30 point player? Okay, I can see that. Are we talking a David Backes type 50-60 point player? I don't see it at all. None of those physical characteristics seem to have granted him any amount of special ability at the sport of hockey.

When people say "tools" it means more than just being tall and strong. The hockey IQ, the hands, the skating, the shot, those are all tools, and Stramel seems to be lacking those types of tools in spades.

In his draft-1 season he put up 22 points in 26 games on the US U18 team. Other 23 draft picks Will Smith had 27 in 28 games and Ryan Leonard had 23 in 36 games.

On the USNTDP team he had 15 points in 16 games. Smith had 28 in 36, Perreault had 27 in 40, Moore had 26 in 32, and Leonard had 15 in 33.

Compared to his peers who were drafted the same year, some in the top 10, he had good production prior to his draft season.

 

[MuckOG]

 

[keppel146]

Peart and Buium in the same game tonight. Buium got a goal.

 

[57special]

Peart and Buium in the same game tonight. Buium got a goal.

Buium with a goal and assist, so far. Lorenz assisted on Buium's goal. Peart, predictably, has no points, but looks good.

Buium looks very good, though a failed clear on his part lead to a GA. He does play on the PK.

And Buium scores the OT winner, ending the Huskies season. Wonder if they will try to sign Peart?

 

[P10p]

Wallstedt very solid lately. Great 6 game run he has had.

 

[MNRube]

Peart and Buium in the same game tonight. Buium got a goal.

That first goal Buium had was nasty. I bet he goes around picks 5-10 unfortunately